Baby Shower - no kids?

My best friend and my mom are planning my baby shower. So far there are 60+ on the invite list so my mom has rented out a location for the shower. The location is outside and there happens to be a playground on the site. This locations insurance does not cover the playground so they mentioned is children would be there, we woul dneed to keep them away.

I've planned (and been to) many baby showers. Never have I asked people on the invitation not to bring children but I have received invitations saying "No children please." I always say how rude it is!! I think it's compeltely rude to ask guests to leave the kids at home. I think a lot of people won't even come because of this.

Anyway, my best friend thinks we shouldn't invite the children because:

1.) It will be so hectic keeping the kids away from the playground throughout the showerand2.) This will bring the guest list to over 80!

What's all of your opinions? I'm not really sure whast to do. I do have friends with younger children that would love to come but probably wouldn't because they couldn't leave their kids.

Alright - so now I am having an issue!

My best friend and my mom are planning my baby shower. So far there are 60+ on the invite list so my mom has rented out a location for the shower. The location is outside and there happens to be a playground on the site. This locations insurance does not cover the playground so they mentioned is children would be there, we woul dneed to keep them away.

I've planned (and been to) many baby showers. Never have I asked people on the invitation not to bring children but I have received invitations saying "No children please." I always say how rude it is!! I think it's compeltely rude to ask guests to leave the kids at home. I think a lot of people won't even come because of this.

Anyway, my best friend thinks we shouldn't invite the children because:

1.) It will be so hectic keeping the kids away from the playground throughout the showerand2.) This will bring the guest list to over 80!

What's all of your opinions? I'm not really sure whast to do. I do have friends with younger children that would love to come but probably wouldn't because they couldn't leave their kids.

#1i think i would allow kids most of if not all of my good friends have kids and I doubt they would come if I said no kids.. #2 it's not your responsibility for someone else's children. Prewarn the parents about the playground and the liabilities, etc.. That's just my take best of luck!

#1i think i would allow kids most of if not all of my good friends have kids and I doubt they would come if I said no kids.. #2 it's not your responsibility for someone else's children. Prewarn the parents about the playground and the liabilities, etc.. That's just my take best of luck!

Unless it's a shower where whole families are invited (so men too), I would expect no kids to be present. In fact I've never been to a baby shower where kids (other than infants of course) were present. I don't find it rude at all. What is there for kids to do at a shower? I don't think it's the host's job to entertain kids on top of everything else that goes into a shower.

Unless it's a shower where whole families are invited (so men too), I would expect no kids to be present. In fact I've never been to a baby shower where kids (other than infants of course) were present. I don't find it rude at all. What is there for kids to do at a shower? I don't think it's the host's job to entertain kids on top of everything else that goes into a shower.

The thing with parties and invitations is that the only person actually invited is the person addressed on the envelope. If they call to RSVP and ask if they can bring their child, tell them that no children were invited, but that it is up to them if the child feels they want/need to be there, as the party will have an adult focus and no children's activities.

The thing with parties and invitations is that the only person actually invited is the person addressed on the envelope. If they call to RSVP and ask if they can bring their child, tell them that no children were invited, but that it is up to them if the child feels they want/need to be there, as the party will have an adult focus and no children's activities.

I don't think most people bring kids to baby showers other then infants. If they do then just tell them that ya'll aren't allowed to use the playground. If for some reason they are not respectful and let thier kids play on it then Its not your responsiblitly at that point!!!

I don't think most people bring kids to baby showers other then infants. If they do then just tell them that ya'll aren't allowed to use the playground. If for some reason they are not respectful and let thier kids play on it then Its not your responsiblitly at that point!!!

I'd invite the kids. Have someone make a big posterboard sign (or 2) to put on the playscape at the event saying "playscape closed for repairs". That should help to do the trick- even the hint of a safety issue should motivate parents to keep kids away. And beyond that, try not to stress too much about it. If they do get on it, such is life. Silly for a place to offer rentals that don't cover the whole site anyway. As long as you make an effort in good faith to uphold their rules, you can't be held accountable. as for the numbers issue- if this is happening over the summer, the odds of EVERYONE showing up are low. Especially if some have kids, they're likely to have activities and stuff of their own scheduled. If everyone does come, i would recommend NOT opening all the gifts at the party- it gets really tedious for you and for the guests. Just be sure you send really good thank-yous later on.

just my two cwnts.

I'd invite the kids. Have someone make a big posterboard sign (or 2) to put on the playscape at the event saying "playscape closed for repairs". That should help to do the trick- even the hint of a safety issue should motivate parents to keep kids away. And beyond that, try not to stress too much about it. If they do get on it, such is life. Silly for a place to offer rentals that don't cover the whole site anyway. As long as you make an effort in good faith to uphold their rules, you can't be held accountable. as for the numbers issue- if this is happening over the summer, the odds of EVERYONE showing up are low. Especially if some have kids, they're likely to have activities and stuff of their own scheduled. If everyone does come, i would recommend NOT opening all the gifts at the party- it gets really tedious for you and for the guests. Just be sure you send really good thank-yous later on.

I remember being a kid and going to a lot of baby showers for relatives. But I was a girl and my mom says I was always well behaved. There were other kids there who would get into stuff and take away from the fun activities for the adults, and some of the parents would be distracted trying to keep their children out of trouble. Not to mention a kid that has been yelled at tends to pout and scream, and while most of your friend's children may be well-behaved, some of them are show offs and like to misbehave because there are other guests to get attention from. Â (I had A LOT of cousins growing up....it wasn't uncommon at all for something like this to happen).

Also, when a kid sees a playground they automatically want to go play on it (most kids anyway). This would just be something else to detract from the baby shower, as a few adults would almost certainly have to be outside with their children.Â

I would personally ask that parents not bring their kids. If it's a weekend, shouldn't some SO's be available to watch the children? If anything, maybe the men can get together and have a good time while watching the kids (heck, women do that all the time!) It would allow the mothers to be at your shower and the kids would be watched after as well.Â

I remember being a kid and going to a lot of baby showers for relatives. But I was a girl and my mom says I was always well behaved. There were other kids there who would get into stuff and take away from the fun activities for the adults, and some of the parents would be distracted trying to keep their children out of trouble. Not to mention a kid that has been yelled at tends to pout and scream, and while most of your friend's children may be well-behaved, some of them are show offs and like to misbehave because there are other guests to get attention from. Â (I had A LOT of cousins growing up....it wasn't uncommon at all for something like this to happen).

Also, when a kid sees a playground they automatically want to go play on it (most kids anyway). This would just be something else to detract from the baby shower, as a few adults would almost certainly have to be outside with their children.Â

I would personally ask that parents not bring their kids. If it's a weekend, shouldn't some SO's be available to watch the children? If anything, maybe the men can get together and have a good time while watching the kids (heck, women do that all the time!) It would allow the mothers to be at your shower and the kids would be watched after as well.Â

IMO, I think it's ok to request no children at the shower. I personally will not be allowing children at my shower, with the exception of a couple friend's brand new babies. My reasoning: the kids don't understand that it is a party for you, to celebrate the new baby. This causes problems because 1: the attention is not on them. 2: their parents feel like they have to either keep a close watch on the kids and can't enjoy your shower OR they let the kids run wild. 3: the kids want to "help" you open your gifts. 4: more expense for food, etc for the people throwing the shower. Also, when you add in the factor of the playgound at your location, that would just be an added stress for the parents. Hope you get it figured out!

IMO, I think it's ok to request no children at the shower. I personally will not be allowing children at my shower, with the exception of a couple friend's brand new babies. My reasoning: the kids don't understand that it is a party for you, to celebrate the new baby. This causes problems because 1: the attention is not on them. 2: their parents feel like they have to either keep a close watch on the kids and can't enjoy your shower OR they let the kids run wild. 3: the kids want to "help" you open your gifts. 4: more expense for food, etc for the people throwing the shower. Also, when you add in the factor of the playgound at your location, that would just be an added stress for the parents. Hope you get it figured out!

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards NO kids. I'll ask my mom and friend only to put the name of the adult on the invitation. I'll personally make exceptions for some.... but I'll just blame it on the location, Afterall, it is kind of their fault anyway!

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards NO kids. I'll ask my mom and friend only to put the name of the adult on the invitation. I'll personally make exceptions for some.... but I'll just blame it on the location, Afterall, it is kind of their fault anyway!

It sounds like you've already booked the venue, but your day/date and time will have a lot to do with whether or not the majority of people bring children. If it's held in the evening on a weekday or on a weekend most moms can leave the kids with a spouse or babysitter. I fall into the camp of thinking it's rude to bring kids to a shower--unless they are babies or old enough to participate and sit quietly, really what is there for them to do? They are disruptive to the party and make it difficult if not impossible for their mother to participate. However, although it's rare for the showers I've been to, I realize people do bring their kids sometimes. I wouldn't put "no children" on the invites, but tape off the playground to keep them off of it, and have a coloring or blocks station handy to keep them distracted if you expect people to bring their kids. JMO, good luck!

It sounds like you've already booked the venue, but your day/date and time will have a lot to do with whether or not the majority of people bring children. If it's held in the evening on a weekday or on a weekend most moms can leave the kids with a spouse or babysitter. I fall into the camp of thinking it's rude to bring kids to a shower--unless they are babies or old enough to participate and sit quietly, really what is there for them to do? They are disruptive to the party and make it difficult if not impossible for their mother to participate. However, although it's rare for the showers I've been to, I realize people do bring their kids sometimes. I wouldn't put "no children" on the invites, but tape off the playground to keep them off of it, and have a coloring or blocks station handy to keep them distracted if you expect people to bring their kids. JMO, good luck!

I would insert something in the invite that says something like "please understand there is a liability issue with the playground on the property so if children come unfortunately they can't use it" . That doesn't necessarily say no kids but most people probably won't bring their kids if they know they have to chase after them.

I would insert something in the invite that says something like "please understand there is a liability issue with the playground on the property so if children come unfortunately they can't use it" . That doesn't necessarily say no kids but most people probably won't bring their kids if they know they have to chase after them.

If I were you I would look into a different venue. Sounds like it's an outdoor thing so there has to be another park area that you wouldn't have this issue with and could still have cover. Our shower is going to be called a Babygating shower. It will be coed and kids are invited. We too are doing it outside with a tailgating theme and both have very large families and a big circle of friends... our guest is also in the 80's. A lot of women in my family and friends ask what they can bring... So this really helps with the food situation for that many people and because we are doing a tailgating theme we will stick with the basics hamburgers hotdogs etc.... Great for kids and adults. Here in MN there are plenty of parks and and lakes where you can reserve the outside shelters. This is what we're planning and doing it co'ed the guys can watch the kids during certain times or the moms can too... So maybe the easiest way to solve this is look for a different venue and let others helps with bringing a dish to share. Good luck!

If I were you I would look into a different venue. Sounds like it's an outdoor thing so there has to be another park area that you wouldn't have this issue with and could still have cover. Our shower is going to be called a Babygating shower. It will be coed and kids are invited. We too are doing it outside with a tailgating theme and both have very large families and a big circle of friends... our guest is also in the 80's. A lot of women in my family and friends ask what they can bring... So this really helps with the food situation for that many people and because we are doing a tailgating theme we will stick with the basics hamburgers hotdogs etc.... Great for kids and adults. Here in MN there are plenty of parks and and lakes where you can reserve the outside shelters. This is what we're planning and doing it co'ed the guys can watch the kids during certain times or the moms can too... So maybe the easiest way to solve this is look for a different venue and let others helps with bringing a dish to share. Good luck!

Count me in as one who doesn't think it's rude to not invite kids. I also have never been to a baby shower that did include children, actually, aside for a small baby every once in a while. Two of my mother's friends are throwing my shower and I didn't include any children on the guest list. People use babysitters/family/husbands, etc. That being said, if you are really uncomfortable with not inviting the full families, I like the idea of putting up a sign that indicates the playground is off limits.

Count me in as one who doesn't think it's rude to not invite kids. I also have never been to a baby shower that did include children, actually, aside for a small baby every once in a while. Two of my mother's friends are throwing my shower and I didn't include any children on the guest list. People use babysitters/family/husbands, etc. That being said, if you are really uncomfortable with not inviting the full families, I like the idea of putting up a sign that indicates the playground is off limits.

I live in a smaller tourist-y town (Santa Barbara, CA) and everything is suppppppppppper pricey. It just so happens that my moms neighbor was able to get us a really awesome location for FREE so we're taking advantage. My best friend says she doesn't want to plan the shower around kids - she says it's all about "you" (me). So, what the heck!

I live in a smaller tourist-y town (Santa Barbara, CA) and everything is suppppppppppper pricey. It just so happens that my moms neighbor was able to get us a really awesome location for FREE so we're taking advantage. My best friend says she doesn't want to plan the shower around kids - she says it's all about "you" (me). So, what the heck!

All the baby showers I've been to had children present. I wouldn't be able to attend without my daughter. That's tough, though. Luckily, people at church held it for me in the church gym (during my first pregnancy), so it was perfect for kids and free.

All the baby showers I've been to had children present. I wouldn't be able to attend without my daughter. That's tough, though. Luckily, people at church held it for me in the church gym (during my first pregnancy), so it was perfect for kids and free.

I get offended on behalf of my kids when they're not welcome somewhere. Especially a baby shower, which is the celebration of the beginning of a child's life! Personally, if I thought my children might misbehave (if it was around nap time etc), I would organise a babysitter. But for the most part, my kids are extremely well-behaved and a pleasure to be around, so I'd be offended that they were lumped into the same category as those who were going to be a handful. I went to a baby shower recently where the ladies were outside chatting and playing baby shower games, and some of the men had volunteered to stay inside and look after the children. This was organized beforehand, and specified on the invitation. Everyone (including the men!) had heaps of fun. :0)

I get offended on behalf of my kids when they're not welcome somewhere. Especially a baby shower, which is the celebration of the beginning of a child's life! Personally, if I thought my children might misbehave (if it was around nap time etc), I would organise a babysitter. But for the most part, my kids are extremely well-behaved and a pleasure to be around, so I'd be offended that they were lumped into the same category as those who were going to be a handful. I went to a baby shower recently where the ladies were outside chatting and playing baby shower games, and some of the men had volunteered to stay inside and look after the children. This was organized beforehand, and specified on the invitation. Everyone (including the men!) had heaps of fun. :0)

I always found it very rude and offensive when people put "no kids allowed" on invites. Some occasions it is just common sense not to bring your children but a baby shower is not one of them. My suggestion is to Set up a "kid zone" and then explain to the mommies and children that the playground is off limits! Here is a great cheap way to make it work. ( My biggest tip is to shop at the dollar tree for kids activities)#1- picnic tables...bring a few extra tables to set up stations for the kids. If you dont have any i am sure someone you know will.#2- At table number one have snacks just for the kids.#3- At table number two have an gender neutral activity set up that is fun/safe for all ages. I did a play-dough station. (again you can get four packs of generic playdough for a buck at the dollar tree & add cookie cutter and other "tools" for extra fun.)Another idea is a rock painting station, Gather twenty or so four to six inch smooth rocks and then buy some craft paint, paint brushes and glitter. Put a plastic table cloth down to protect the table. You will also need cups of water for rinsing brushes and some hand towels or napkins. Paint two or three your self ahead of time. Do a lady bug on one, your name on one, and spider man on another. The kids will see how cool they can look and how creative they can be and they will want to make there own.#4- For the older kids set up a scavenger hunt, make it extinsive so it takes a good part of the day and offer up a prize to the winner to keep it interesting.*remember* the best way to keep the kids interested so they dont get board and start to interfere on your party is to offer up surprise prizes. Tell them that at the end of the day there will be prizes given to those who did the best.

The one thing to also remember is to explain to the parents the reason behind the playground being off limits. If they think they will have a hard time getting their children to cooperate than they can leave there kids behind.

I always found it very rude and offensive when people put "no kids allowed" on invites. Some occasions it is just common sense not to bring your children but a baby shower is not one of them. My suggestion is to Set up a "kid zone" and then explain to the mommies and children that the playground is off limits! Here is a great cheap way to make it work. ( My biggest tip is to shop at the dollar tree for kids activities)#1- picnic tables...bring a few extra tables to set up stations for the kids. If you dont have any i am sure someone you know will.#2- At table number one have snacks just for the kids.#3- At table number two have an gender neutral activity set up that is fun/safe for all ages. I did a play-dough station. (again you can get four packs of generic playdough for a buck at the dollar tree & add cookie cutter and other "tools" for extra fun.)Another idea is a rock painting station, Gather twenty or so four to six inch smooth rocks and then buy some craft paint, paint brushes and glitter. Put a plastic table cloth down to protect the table. You will also need cups of water for rinsing brushes and some hand towels or napkins. Paint two or three your self ahead of time. Do a lady bug on one, your name on one, and spider man on another. The kids will see how cool they can look and how creative they can be and they will want to make there own.#4- For the older kids set up a scavenger hunt, make it extinsive so it takes a good part of the day and offer up a prize to the winner to keep it interesting.*remember* the best way to keep the kids interested so they dont get board and start to interfere on your party is to offer up surprise prizes. Tell them that at the end of the day there will be prizes given to those who did the best.

The one thing to also remember is to explain to the parents the reason behind the playground being off limits. If they think they will have a hard time getting their children to cooperate than they can leave there kids behind.

All if my friends and I are on our second round of kids. All the 2nd showers we have said adults only and it has worked out great! Its nice to be able to visit and just enjoy "adult" talk without having to entertain the little ones too!
I hope it all works out for you!

All if my friends and I are on our second round of kids. All the 2nd showers we have said adults only and it has worked out great! Its nice to be able to visit and just enjoy "adult" talk without having to entertain the little ones too!
I hope it all works out for you!

i had never been to a baby shower or bridal shower that allowed kids since its for adult women.. we just had a bridal shower for a cousin and i didn't bring my kids.. i would even have my kids at my own baby shower because i wouldn't want to have to keep an eye on them.. my husband didn't come to my baby shower because it was women only.. i even known people who say no kids for weddings and wedding receptions for space reasons.. i think it would just be assumed that kids were not allowed to a baby shower unless the whole family was invited..

i had never been to a baby shower or bridal shower that allowed kids since its for adult women.. we just had a bridal shower for a cousin and i didn't bring my kids.. i would even have my kids at my own baby shower because i wouldn't want to have to keep an eye on them.. my husband didn't come to my baby shower because it was women only.. i even known people who say no kids for weddings and wedding receptions for space reasons.. i think it would just be assumed that kids were not allowed to a baby shower unless the whole family was invited..

In my experience baby showers are not an event for kids to attend. An occasional infant isn't unheard of or a big deal for the most part...but as a few previous posters have mentioned there are definite reasons why kids should really not attend -especially in numbers.

I vote leave the kids at home!!

Trish

In my experience baby showers are not an event for kids to attend. An occasional infant isn't unheard of or a big deal for the most part...but as a few previous posters have mentioned there are definite reasons why kids should really not attend -especially in numbers.

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